[Mb-civic] Go West, Old MenBy THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[Michael Butler]

The New York Times
Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

April 26, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Go West, Old Men
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

San Francisco

As any loyal N.F.L. fan knows, there is something called the "West Coast
offense" ‹ a freewheeling style of play invented by Coach Bill Walsh.
Watching the recent visit of China's president, Hu Jintao, left me wondering
if America wouldn't benefit from a "West Coast foreign policy."

It was surely no accident that President Hu made his first stop in the U.S.
in Washington State ‹ not Washington, D.C. ‹ to dine with Bill Gates, who
gave him the "state dinner" that the Bush White House refused to extend. Why
the Bush team was unwilling to host the Chinese president for a state dinner
is beyond me. If I owed someone $1 trillion, I'd give him a state dinner.
I'd also give him breakfast, lunch and Chinese takeout.

But, more important than the meal, why the rush visit? Are there any two
leaders in the world with more to talk about than Presidents Bush and Hu?
How about hammering out a joint position on Iran, since the only way that
Iran is likely to back down on its nuclear arms program is if China stands
up to it? How about forging a joint Manhattan Project on alternative energy
between the U.S. and China, or a real plan to get Chinese consumers to spend
more and Americans to save more to help balance our trade?

Since none of those issues got a meaningful airing, it's no wonder President
Hu went to Seattle first. At least with Microsoft or Boeing, he can do
deals. Washington, D.C., has nothing to talk to China about because it is
unwilling to impose anything hard on itself and therefore cannot demand
anything hard from China.

My only regret is that President Hu didn't go home via California ‹ a state
that has demanded something hard of itself and therefore could demand
something hard of China.

China and California have a lot to talk about. California's air pollution is
increasingly made in China, and China's environmental solutions are
increasingly made in California.

Here's how: Lately scientists have tracked pollutants from
fossil-fuel-burning cars and factories in China all the way over to
California, where they are transported via winds. On any given day,
particulates in the smog choking big California cities can be traced to dust
storms in China, which have been exacerbated by rapid deforestation there.
(China is making our cheap goods at a steep environmental price.)

But while the Bush team is in no position to lecture China on the
environment, California is. Thanks to the energy efficiency standards that
California has imposed on its own power industry, buildings and appliances
over the last 30 years ‹ and its increasing reliance on renewable energy
sources ‹ California today consumes a little more than half as many
kilowatt-hours of energy per capita each year as the rest of America. This
has helped California avoid having to build a whole slew of power plants.

This summer the California Legislature can push ahead even further when it
votes on the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would set a statewide cap
on emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases that cause global
warming. The limits would be phased in by 2020 and require suppliers of
electricity and fuels to dramatically reduce their use of fossil fuels
through more efficiency and renewable energy ‹ so much so that the law, if
passed, would probably spark a boom in green technologies in California and
help California companies become leaders in this 21st-century industry.

"Our strategy is to put California in a leadership position and help the
Chinese copy our regulations and incentives," said Bob Epstein, co-founder
of a business-environmental coalition, Environmental Entrepreneurs.

We can't tell China not to use so much energy, especially given what energy
gluttons Americans are. We can lead only by example. The Bush team, though,
can't do that because it won't ask Americans to do anything hard on energy
or the environment.

But California can. If China could be persuaded to follow California's model
‹ strong energy standards and supportive government policies to nurture the
widespread deployment of clean technologies ‹ everyone could benefit, said
Rob Watson, who heads the Natural Resources Defense Council's international
energy programs. Imagine if China started making low-cost green appliances
and cars the way it does cheap shoes and shirts?

So here's hoping that the next time China's president comes to America, he
doesn't even bother to go to Washington, D.C. Why waste the gas? China's
business is with America's West Coast foreign policy team, which can offer
China's president inspiration, examples and dinner.

Home

    * World
    * U.S.
    * N.Y. / Region
    * Business
    * Technology
    * Science
    * Health
    * Sports
    * Opinion
    * Arts
    * Style
    * Travel
    * Jobs
    * Real Estate
    * Autos
    * Back to Top

Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

    * Privacy Policy
    * Search
    * Corrections
    * XML
    * Help
    * Contact Us
    * Work for Us
    * Site Map